GREAT NEW MUSIC: The Mabuses "Mabused"

Man, my mind has been wanderin', wanderin', wanderin' for the last hour or so. I can't really explain, at least coherently, where it's been. All I can say is that it was a very waking-dream state kind of experience. The catalyst...the new album from The Mabuses, "Mabused". I can't really explain the music either, only to say that it's very playful and it's palette is varied and expansive. For fans of Syd Barrett, Grizzly Bear, early Elephant Six stuff, Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart & Menomena...hell, anything good and truly exploratory. Be prepared. You're about to jump down the rabbit hole, and I can't say for sure what you'll find there. Just make sure your headphones are on tight!!

Mabused will be released on Sept. 25 via their own record label, Magpie Records.

[MP3] The Mabuses - Mirth from "Mabused" (via Box.net)
[MP3] The Mabuses - Sugarland from "Mabused" (via Box.net)

Jesu/Eluvium limited edition split 12", available for pre-order.

If you're anything like me, then you've been jonesing to hear some new material from Jesu. Well don't just stand there and shake in the corner! Go pre-order the new Jesu/Eluvium split 12" from Temporary Residence now! It's limited to 4000 copies (2000 Temporary Residence versions and 2000 Hydrahead versions..the HH versions are different than the TR ones, and will be available shortly), and the TR version is available in two colors, red and black! It features three new songs from Jesu, and one long song in three parts from Eluvium! Go! Buy! Here!

Stereogum releases OK X: A Tribute to OK Computer

Stereogum gets the hotness award this year!! Getting some amazing talent to cover "OK Computer" in it's entirety, then offering it up for FREE DOWNLOAD!!! You really couldn't pay tribute to one of the most influential & envelope-pushing albums of all time any better than that. Kudos Stereogum, kudos. Bands who contributed tracks include: The Twilight Sad, Vampire Weekend, Cold War Kids, David Bazan, Doveman, My Brightest Diamond, John Vanderslice, and more. I haven't finished listening to the whole thing yet, but so far it's light years better than most of the tribute albums I heard before. Which is saying a lot.

You can download the whole album, here.

Stars announce tour & release new album early!!

Canadian indie-popsters Stars, in an attempt to foil those damn music pirates, digitally released their newest album "In Our Bedroom After the War" yesterday. The album was supposed to come out on Sept. 25 (the physical album's release is still 9/25). They're hoping that given the choice to download the album legally, that fans will do the right thing. I did, and it felt real good. They also announced their fall tour dates which you can check out below.

Buy the digital version of "In Our Bedroom After the War" from iTunes, or from the Arts & Crafts website.

[MP3] Stars - The Night Starts Here from "In Our Bedroom After The War" (via Box.net)

Tour dates:
09-06 Grand Rapids, MI - Calvin College Fine Arts Center
09-08 Montreal, Quebec - Parc Jean-Drapeau (Osheaga Festival)
09-09 Toronto, Ontario - Virgin Festival
10-17 South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
10-18 New York, NY - Town Hall
10-19 Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Centre
10-20 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
10-24 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom
10-26 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
10-27 Atlanta, GA - The Variety Playhouse
10-28 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
10-30 Austin, TX - Stubb's BBQ
10-31 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
11-02 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
11-03 Minneapolis, MN - Pantages Theatre
11-04 Omaha, NE - Slowdown
11-06 Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
11-08 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
11-09 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
11-10 Los Angeles, CA - The Orpheum
11-13 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
11-14 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
11-15 Portland, OR - The Crystal Ballroom
11-16 Seattle, WA - The Showbox

Boris & Michio Kurihara coming to Atlanta in October

Boris & Michio Kurihara, whose recent collaboration "Rainbow" is one of my favorite releases this year. Having missed them when they played here last year (Sparklehorse was the same night, :( ), this is great news for yours truly. I have been reading about how sick they sound live and now I get to witness this first hand. Plus, I'm pretty psyched about seeing them perform their "Rainbow" material with Michio. So it's a win/win. They haven't released the rest of the dates for this tour yet, but as soon as they do I'll post 'em.

Boris w/ Michio Kurihara @ The Earl, 10/22

The National on Daytrotter.com

Man, you gotta love those guys over at Daytrotter...they keep delivering some great live sets from some some really great bands. The latest in this long list is The National, who decided to include a cover of the Psychedelic Furs classic, "Pretty in Pink" in their set (which is pretty damn good, btw). Download the whole session here.

GREAT LOCAL MUSIC: Gringo Star (formerly A-Fir-Ju-Well)

So the forthcoming self-titled EP from Gringo Star (formerly A-Fir-Ju-Well) has hit my iPod and it's still spinnin'...both the 'Pod and the music. I've been a A-Fir-Ju-Well fan for awhile, it was always easy to find out when they were playing next because they used old tree stumps, furniture, crates & even refrigerator doors as giant "pain in the ass to remove" flyers. They put those huge painted motherfuckers in high traffic areas of Atlanta which pretty much guaranteed two things: everyone at least "knew" of A-Fir-Ju-Well, and the flyers never got torn down. So now they go by Gringo Star, same band different name. This new self-titled EP has some re-worked "A-Fir-Ju-Well" classics, as well as some new tracks. All of which still have that 60's mod/spanish/southern-psychedelia flavor that made me a fan in the first place. They're currently touring, so check 'em out if you feel so inclined. I highly recommend you do.

TOUR DATES:
07/09 - Flying Monkey Art's Center, Huntsville, AL
07/10 - White Water Tavern, Little Rock, AK
07/11 - Creepy Crawl, St. Louis, MO
07/12 - The Lakeshore Theater, Chicago, IL
07/13 - Southgate House (Free Show!!), Newport KY
07/14 - 30th B-Day Party, New Bedford, MA
07/15 - Bar, New Haven, CT
07/16 - Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
07/17 - IOTA, Arlington, VA
07/19 - Asheville Pizza & Brewing, Asheville, NC
07/20 - The Rusty Nail, Wilmington, NC
07/21 - The Map Room, Charleston, SC

[MP3] Gringo Star - No Reason from "S/T EP" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Gringo Star - Transmission from "S/T EP" (via Box.net)

Gringo Star - Myspace